Found
by demented-fool
Summary: Set after 2x06 - Betty is found by Teresa, and decides she's not letting her go. Gladys finds out about it, and her friendship with Betty deepens while the one Betty and Kate had needs some serious mending.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, except perhaps a deep admiration for Betty's character.

**Spoiler alert:** Set after episode 2x06, so spoilers for the whole series until this point, really.

* * *

_Could this really be happening?_

Betty was amazed at how quickly Teresa came into her life and showed her she could act upon her desires that have been frightening her so much.

It was like a switch was turned on and she could feel safe at being herself for once, with another woman like her. _And what a woman _- she thought, as she finally kissed her back without any kind of hesitation.

She heard Teresa moan in response and embrace her with even more desperation. Betty marvelled at the sound that came out of Teresa's throat and the proximity they were sharing was quickly turning her thoughts into mush.

Whenever Ivan reacted like that towards her it felt like it was someone else provoking those noises on him. She was following a role society wrote for her and it felt nothing more than fake and awkward.

But now, now _everything made sense_. She felt whole and in control, and she wished she had experienced this sooner - that Teresa had appeared in her life years ago. _Better late than never, and the wait was definetely worth it - _she thought later on, when both of them were lying side by side resting for the second time that evening. Betty began wondering if they were too loud (her confidence certainly boosted after the first time) and suddenly thought of Kate. A small chill ran through her spine as she pondered at the possibility of Kate overhearing them.

_Why do I care anyway? Let her go and have a happy life with Ivan. Wish all the best for her._

Deep down she couldn't really stop caring, but right now something else felt stronger in her heart. A certain lady playing with her hair, sitting right next to her.

"Something on your mind?" Teresa asked, with a knowing glance.

Teresa had this way of undressing Betty with her eyes. Betty felt as if she couldn't lie to her. She didn't want to, anyway.

"Well, soldier…I was hoping we didn't wake up my fellow housemates with our little party" she said in what she hoped was an unpreoccupied and flirty tone.

"I'm sure this boarding house has a lot of those going on at night." She answered.

"Sometimes…not so frequently on this hall though."

"I see. I hope I get to change that in the near future."

"I must say, you already contributed a lot. And here I thought you were the one collecting help for the war."

"This night hasn't been particularly a sacrifice for me, dear." - Teresa teased.

"I should hope not!" Betty said, feigning hurt in her eyes.

Teresa winked at her and Betty suddenly felt she was going to miss this woman when she was away.

"When will you be back from the bond tour?" She asked, trying to sound casual.

"In three weeks." She said, the expression on her eyes less cheerful now. She leaned into Betty and left a soft trace of kisses down her neck.

"Hum…" Betty inclined her head to the opposite side, giving Teresa more space to explore. Everything about this evening was wonderful, and Betty was trying not to think of the next three weeks without the soldier, so she lead her hand to the side of Teresa's face and went in for another kiss, the first rays of sunshine already making their way through the room's only window.

—-

The next few days Betty was in a swell mood, with a promise of Teresa visiting her as soon as she was back in town. Gladys was the first one to notice the unsual chirpy mood Betty was in recently, when she didn't erupt into a hurricane of rage when a new girl messed up at the line. Well, not as much as usual.

"What's putting you in such a happy mood Betty?" Gladys asked Betty, as they both sat down at the canteen tables.

"Whatever do you mean by that, princess? I'm pretty much myself nowadays." she said, trying to dodge Glady's suspicions.

"You're not one to fool me, Betty McRae. Something's making you happy and it's definetely not Kate." - Gladys said, looking back over her shoulder at Kate who was sitting with Ivan some tables behind them. "You two haven't even been talking lately." She pointed her spoon at Betty "What's up between you two by the way? Kate keeps glaring this way like you've committed some kind of crime."

"That's waaay too many questions, Princess. Don't feel like answering all of them honestly." Betty said with a shadow going through her expression. The mention of 'Kate' and 'crime' in the same sentence was not pleasing.

"Help a friend out and let me know at least what's putting a smile on your face. You know how much I'm in need of a distraction." Gladys said, clearly making a reference to the misery she's been through after James' death.

Betty bit her lip, clearly battling her thoughts. This was not the time or place to let Gladys know about Teresa. She surveyed their surroundings and saw no one paying attention at them, except perhaps Kate who was clearly sending some heavy looks at their table whenever she got the chance.

Betty made an effort to ignore her for the time being and told Gladys:

"Let's just say I have a soldier who'll keep me warm at night."

Gladys mouth hang hillariously open for a few seconds. She was about to say someting, but closed her mouth in confusion for a while, as if pondering who this soldier was. Then something clicked on her princess's head.

"Noo. The…" she paused to begin whispering, excitement very clear on her face. "…war bond one?". Disbelief was all over her eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Betty answered, not being able to hide a lopsided smile.

"Betty McRae you player!" she slapped Betty's arm, consequently making Betty drop the fork she was holding at the moment.

"I still have no idea who you're talking about." Betty insisted, still with a small smile playing on her lips. She was feeling bloated with utter happyness at Gladys being so observant and incredibly supportive.

"Don't worry Betts, your secret's safe with me." She winked with a smile, and keeping her eyes on Betty for seconds onwards, admiring her courage.

"Will you stop staring at me with that stupid smile?" Betty begged, beginning to feel uncomfortable. What if she begun asking questions about it?

"I demand to know everything." Gladys said with what she thought was an authoritative tone.

"Keep dreaming princess." Betty said in response.

"Even if I randomly appear tonight at the boarding house with a bottle of champagne?" She teased.

Betty pretended to hesitate for a moment.

"Better be a good bottle." She eventually said.

"When do I ever bring a bad one?" Gladys asked, clearly delighted at the prospect of Betty confiding in her.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, princess, tell me how you figured it all out." - Betty asked, while shuffling cards.

Gladys and Betty were sitting in the common room table preparing to play cards, with the company of a fancy bottle of champagne.

The boarding house was completely deserted at that time of the night, for it was still too soon for most of the girls to begin arriving from the usual bars.

"Figure what exactly?" Gladys asked while filling her glass.

"You know, about Teresa. And not some…other soldier." - Betty said, not breaking eye contact for the first time when talking about this subject.

Gladys was about to sip from her drink but paused to say:

"So that's her name…!" She then proceeded to drink a big gulp from the glass and added with a more serious tone:

"Well, when did I ever saw you talking to another soldier? I don't remember such a thing ever happening to be honest."

She paused to see Betty's reaction. She was pretending to look interested on the bottle's tag now.

Gladys decided to continue before she could get misinterpreted:

"I saw you leaving the Cavalcade together. I just assumed you were both catching the same street car, as anyone else would. But when you told me at lunch about a soldier making you happy…your smile…I…it just clicked."

Betty blushed intensely and began to rip off the bottle's tag.

"She looks like a great gal, darling." Gladys added.

"She is." Betty ended up whispering, to her own surprise. ___Was she really talking to Gladys about her feelings towards another woman?_

Gladys couldn't help but beam at that piece of information. The fact that Betty finally opened up to her on such a direct manner about her preferences made her feel like she had an important role on her life.

She pondered whether it was a good idea to ask about Kate. She knew about Betty's feelings when it came to her. Betty's eyes could never hide affection whenever Kate was around.

But when Gladys asked what was going on during lunch she noticed Betty didn't want to talk about it, and she certainly did not want to mess up the progress she made so far with Betty tonight.

"It really doesn't bother you?" Betty suddenly asked.

At first Gladys didn't understand where that question came from. She blinked.

Betty raised her eyebrows at her, and Gladys eventually got what she meant.

"Oh. No. Betts, I believe people should be entitled to love whoever they want." She explained, while Betty took her turn at drinking.

Gladys continued:

"Look, we're in the middle of a war here. Hatred, fight, and death…it's all over the radios. And love is a beautiful thing, more so at times like these. But in the end…whatever the context we're in, if the intentions are good, why should it be seen as something wrong?"

Betty couldn't help but smile at Gladys idealistic speech.

"You're right princess. But not everyone thinks like you, so I'd appreciate if this keeps as secret between us. I could lose my job. End up in jail."

"I know that Betts. I just want you to know I'm on your side." Gladys insisted, her voice low and serious. She extended her hands to cover Betty's. A few seconds later Betty let go with a 'thank you' smile and took a sip from her glass.

"And I'm incredibly curious as to how the whole thing works. You know, the 'mechanics' of it all".

Betty snorted champagne all over the table. She took some seconds to recompose herself.

"You'll have to get me drunk in order to snatch that information out of my mouth." She said as she got up to find a towel.

Gladys grinned and said:

"My thoughts exactly. Good thing we've got a bottle just for ourselves tonight."

—-

Kate and Ivan were saying their farewells at main entrance of the boarding house after a night out. He was babbling out compliments on her dancing and how lovely she looked tonight, while putting a hair strand behind her ear and caressing her face.

Kate's mind was elsewhere though. She noticed Betty hadn't been at the Jewel Box that night. She's been avoiding Kate like the plague lately, always preferring Gladys company. Kate was deeply confused by what she felt. Ever since their exchange on Betty's bedroom something in their friendship shifted. Betty no longer seek her in the crowd, no longer saved her a seat by her on the street car…Kate kept telling herself she only missed her friendship and attention, but something was wrong. Here she was, living the life, with a dedicated boyfriend, job, and a home. She really had everything, compared to less than a month ago.

Something was missing.

Betty was missing.

Ivan was getting slightly frustrated. Here he was, caressing Kate like she was a precious thing and all he got was this blank expression on her face.

"What's on your mind sweetheart?" He asked, trying not to show too much annoyance in his voice.

"Did you see Betty at the Jewel Box tonight?" She asked, hoping she might've overlooked something.

Ivan blinked. Was she seriously thinking about Betty when he was trying to get to kiss her? This was some kind of bad joke.

"No. I believe she wasn't there tonight. Or the night before. Actually, I haven't seen much of her lately, except at VicMu. My guess would be that she found herself another lad."

Kate stared back at him, processing the information. She then touched his cheek ever so slightly with her hand, eventually kissing him on the very same spot, and then muttered goodnight, with a hint of a forced smile on her face.

Ivan shoved his hands on his jacket's pockets and stomped his way back home, wondering what the hell was wrong with these women.

"Should've picked a brunette, that's what." He muttered, while getting a cigarette out of his pack.

—

Betty and Gladys were laughing in the common room. Kate could easily recognize their laughter. She stopped on her tracks.

Just the other night she assumed it was Gladys on Betty's room. At first she didn't recognize one of the laughter, but said to herself: ___it must've been Gladys_. Who else would Betty be with in her room, late at night?

But the laughter she was hearing now was definitely not the same; Gladys's voice was deeper than the one she heard the other night. Her hearing rarely failed her. What was happening? Was Betty taking another woman to her room? No, this could not be.

No, ___this could be._ Betty said she loved Kate once. Kate thought she was through with being a deviant, after she got herself a man to date for a few months. Apparently it was all a lie. A façade. She connected the dots…Betty said something about a letter her father sent to VicMu. He might've written something awful in it, something about Betty's tendencies… something that made Betty get a boyfriend to cover up and save her job position.

Now everything made sense in Kate's head.

She gathered some courage and began walking again, passing by the common room's opened door.

Gladys was the first one to see her.

"Kate!" She exclaimed, an empty bottle of champagne on her hand.

Kate stopped by the door and took in the mess the common room was: playing cards were on the floor, Gladys's jacket was thrown over the couch carelessly, almost touching the floor, and Betty's hair was a mess.

"Well well well, look what the cat dragged in." Betty said, looking clearly drunk.

"Join us Kate, we were just discussing the art of making love!" Gladys said, giggling like a small girl. Apparently she had her share of alcohol too.

"Ssssh Gladys, let's not." Betty said, her eyes not fully open and her elbows propped on the table as if it was the only thing that gave Betty some balance and support.

Kate muttered something about being tired and excused herself.

"Look what you did Gladys. You j…just scared her away." Betty said, somehow annoyed by the whole thing.

"What, now you suddenly want to talk to her again?" Gladys managed to ask, a hiccup only making an appearance at the end of the sentence.

"I miss her. There's nothing wrong with that, okay?" Betty said, her arms finally giving up. Her head landed on the table with a loud thud and half a minute later a light snoring could be heard coming from her side of the table.

Gladys shook her head, and with an heroic effort she managed to get up. She began to clean up the mess.

Kate had heard the whole exchange, guilt just now sinking in for eavesdropping. As soon as Betty had said she missed her, Kate felt a pang near where her heart was and eventually made her way upstairs to her room, wondering how the hell she was supposed to fall asleep tonight: thoughts, doubts and questions dancing on her mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Betty and Gladys were sitting with their backs turned to the bar, drinks in hand.

They were scanning the Jewel Box's environment, mainly the dance floor that was particularly crowded this Saturday night. A big swarm of soldiers had just come in half an hour ago and that was enough to get the night started – even the band seemed to agree with this, playing a more upbeat tune the second the soldiers got in.

"Shouldn't we at least go and say hello?" - Gladys asked, peering down her glass with a frown.

"Nah. Trust me on this, princess." - Betty answered, giving a quick glance in the direction of the tables by the dance floor, where Kate and Ivan were conversing, their hands linked over the table.

"She and Ivan, it looks serious. They've been together for weeks now." Gladys pointed out, a careful tone in her voice. She has been trying to breach the 'Kate Issue' with Betty for days now, but no luck.

"Yeah. Looks like it." – Betty agreed. She sensed Gladys was about to try and scan her for potential feelings relating Kate again. She took a sip from her beer; then she put it down nonchalantly on the counter as she got up.

"Where are you going?" – Gladys asked, slightly confused.

"Ladies' room. Will you keep an eye out for Teresa? She's supposed to be back this weekend; maybe she'll show up here tonight."

"I…sure." – Gladys answered.

Maybe she should just give up about Betty and Kate, Gladys thought with a sigh.

Betty seemed to be more invested in Teresa anyway, even after only being together one night. It was clear Betty had decided to move on, and Gladys wasn't helping one bit, always trying to start a conversation about Kate and what might've happened between the two.

_No, I should just drop the subject _– Gladys thought to herself, watching as Betty made her way through the ladies' room entrance. She noticed Kate had followed Betty's movements from the moment she had left the bar.

_But how can I, when they clearly aren't happy with their situation_?

She shook her head and finished her drink. Seconds later Teresa came in and looked in the bar's direction. She spotted Gladys, who saw her and waved. Teresa hesitated for some seconds, made a decision and started walking towards the bar, picking the seat Betty had just left empty.

"Well hello there." – Teresa greeted Gladys, wasting no time and calling the barman, signaling him for a drink. He must've known what she wanted because he busied himself with pouring a whiskey right away.

"Good evening! It's been a while since we last saw you in town." – Gladys said cheerfully.

"Yes! I've been away on a bond tour for the last couple weeks." – Teresa responded.

"I know, Betty told me." – Gladys said without thinking. She regretted her thoughtless mouth the moment she noticed Teresa's hand stopped halfway to the glass that was already waiting for her on the counter.

Teresa stared back at her, her look hard to decipher. She eventually nodded, as a reaction to what Gladys just said, and said:

"I'm guessing that's her beer bottle" – She pointed at the half-empty drink resting on the counter by her whiskey glass.

"You'd be correct. You just missed her; she's in the ladies' room." – Gladys informed - "How was the tour?"

"It was quite a success. You'd like to hear that no other person has managed to beat your generosity so far, though."

"That's good to know. The war needs all the help…"- Gladys stopped talking when she saw Betty approaching them with a nervous look on her face. "Betty! Look who decided to join us this evening!" – She exclaimed with a grin.

Betty smiled nervously at Teresa, who was already holding the beer bottle out for her, as if saying 'hello' in their own private way. She took it, feeling anxious when her fingers grazed Teresa's during the exchange.

Gladys was observing both women intently and sensed some tension in the air. She didn't feel like dancing since she got the news of James's death but she certainly could use a soldier right now to take her away to the dance floor; she immediately felt like a third wheel, the way they were both staring at each other. She could see Betty was anxious, and wondered if it was because they were in a public setting and, well, because Gladys actually knew about them.

"How was the bond tour?" Betty asked, occupying the stool next to Teresa.

While both women engaged on a casual conversation, Gladys started looking around for someone to dance with. Her eyes skimmed the dance floor, eventually ending up on Kate, who was glaring back in her general direction. She followed her line of vision and came to the conclusion that she was staring at Betty and Teresa.

_Oh for the love of…_

Gladys stood up.

"Excuse me ladies, I'm going to try my luck at the dance floor." – And with that, she left them by the bar, having no intention of actually dancing, but going and greet Kate and Ivan at their table.

"You told your friend Gladys about me?" – Teresa asked Betty as soon as Gladys left them alone by the bar.

"I…what do you mean?" – Betty's back tensed.

"Oh. I'm just curious. She did know I was on a bond tour for these past few weeks, so I was wondering exactly how much she knew. You know what I mean." – Teresa explained. If she was bothered by the fact that Gladys could know about them, she was not showing it.

"She knows a lot about you." – Betty said with an apologetic face. – "Is that a problem? We can trust her."

Teresa raised her hand, smiling.

"It's fine, really. If anything, I'm flattered." – She confessed.

Betty scratched the back of her neck, blushing.

"Let's go somewhere." – Teresa suggested, endeared by Betty's shyness.

"Where? It's Saturday night and the boarding house will be a mess…people everywhere…"

"I know a place." – Teresa whispered, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

Betty smiled back. She proceeded to finish her beer in one big gulp, pounding the bottle on the counter.

"What are we waiting for then?" – She asked, as if flirting with another woman at a bar was something she did every night.

"We could use a car…" – Teresa started.

"It might be our lucky night then." – Betty said, looking around, searching for a certain princess.


	4. Chapter 4

"Gladys! Come sit with us!" – Kate invited, letting go of Ivan's hand to shift from her seat and give some space for her friend to sit down.

Gladys smiled in response, taking the seat and placing her re-filled glass at the table. She should take it easy with the drinks, she was already on her second and the night had just started.

"How are the two lovebirds tonight?" – She casually asked.

As Kate just smiled shyly, Ivan decided to answer for her:

"Well, I'm itching for some dancing but Kate here is making it difficult for me." – He said so in a playful tone.

"Really? The same Kate that used the dance floor every single night these past few weeks? I cannot believe it." - Gladys teased.

"I'm just tired today, that's all." – Kate explained with an apologetic look.

_Sitting here also makes it possible for you to stare at Betty all night long _– Gladys thought, looking at Kate, who was fiddling with the straw of her Lime Cordial.

If the fact that Kate didn't feel like dancing on the very same night that Betty decided to re-appear at the Jewel Box was not bothering Ivan, he sure was a bit clueless.

_Well, he did date Betty for months - _Gladys thought.

"Ladies, I'm afraid my drink is running out. I'll go fetch another. Do you need something from the bar?" – Ivan asked, always the gentleman.

When both women shook their heads, Ivan made his way to the bar, crossing his path with Betty but barely nodding at her.

Gladys saw Betty approaching and couldn't help but feeling surprised and giving a quick glance on the direction of the bar, to check if Teresa was still there. She wasn't.

"Princess, can I ask you a big favor?" She asked, barely giving Kate a look. She just glanced in her direction as a way to acknowledge her presence.

"Sure." – Gladys answered.

"I…well, could you come here?" – Betty signaled her to stand up and approach her, so Kate wouldn't listen.

As Betty spoke Kate felt something stir inside her. She wasn't sure if it was anger, pain, or sadness. Maybe it was all of those. She removed the straw from the glass and drank the rest of the drink with three big gulps, slamming the glass on the table as she finished. She cleaned her mouth with the back of her hand, deciding anger was definitely the prominent feeling right now and decided to turn her attention back to her so called friends.

Kate looked right on time to see Gladys take something off her handbag – her car keys – and handing them to Betty, who left after mouthing something like 'I owe you one'.

Gladys returned to her seat, sighing, but smiling. Then, she noticed Kate, whose expression was definitely not happy.

"So…you and Ivan! " – Gladys said matter-of-factly.

Kate wanted to smile, to say something like: "He's so charming!", but she couldn't muster the strength for that, not right now.

"Betty doesn't drive." – She ended up saying instead.

Gladys almost choked on her drink, but ended up disguising it with a cough.

"You're right, she doesn't. She uh- is going for a ride with a friend." - Gladys answered, even though Kate didn't really ask her anything. Her tone when talking clearly demanded for an explanation, though.

"That soldier woman? I've only seen her once before at VicMu…now suddenly they're friends?" – Kate's voice was lower and bitter.

Gladys felt trapped. Lying to Kate wasn't her favorite sport, but what mattered right now was protecting Betty.

"The soldier woman – Teresa - already left, so I doubt it was her who went with Betty." - Gladys said, taking a pause before adding: "But she's a friend of Betty, yes, and I hope I get to know her better too, actually. She's a rather fascinating woman…it's good to know there are other ways to help the war effort besides making bombs, don't you think?" – Gladys asked, hoping that her small speech will make Kate start to get used to see Teresa around and not making assumptions of the nature of her relationship with Betty.

Kate nodded, wearing a frown on her face. She was studying her empty glass, as if trying to re-fill it mentally.

"Finished yours already? Should I go get another one?" – Ivan asked as he reached the table, drink in hand.

Kate took her time to look back at him, but when she did, a smile was on her face.

"No, I'd rather dance with you." – She said. Gladys stood up to let Kate get out of the leather couch, and took her place again when the couple left her.

"You're a puzzle, Kate." – Gladys muttered, observing her friend while she danced. She remembered Betty was somewhere private with Teresa by now, and wondered if this is how things were supposed to be happening.

* * *

"Is this where you bring all your conquests?" – Betty asked teasingly.

Teresa drove her to a small hill with a nice view, not too far away. They didn't have much gas to spend anyway. They were sitting on the back seat of Gladys' convertible, admiring the view and their closeness without having to worry about people's eyes on them.

"I got knowledge of this place very recently so…that would be a no. And I was wishing that I won'tt have to bring anyone else here so soon." – Teresa said, caressing Betty's arm.

"What do you mean?" - Betty asked, completely oblivious.

"What I mean…" - Teresa started, kissing Betty's neck – "…is that I want…" – she gave another kiss, closer to her collarbone now – "…to bring you here…" – she started unbuttoning Betty's shirt to keep going with her exploration – "…and only you…"- Teresa's left hand finished with the buttons and was now feeling the skin under Betty's shirt – "…for a long time." – She ended up whispering in Betty's ear.

Betty opened her eyes to look at Teresa, and instead of saying something she kissed her with such intent that it was enough of a response for the other woman. Teresa's hands were now busy with taking Betty's shirt off completely while Betty was gently pushing Teresa down on the seat. As their closeness grew their kissing turned more urgent and avid, as if suddenly they noticed how much they've missed this kind of contact during the past three weeks.

"Betty..." – Teresa managed to say between kisses – "The roof of the car, we should…" – Betty finally paused the kissing for some seconds to let her finish – "…close it." – Teresa finished with a smile. Betty nodded and, after a minute trying to figure a way to close the roof, she had to ask Teresa to help her out, who did so while laughing at Betty's lame excuses for her lack of ability with cars.


	5. Chapter 5

It was already past one in the morning when Betty arrived at the boarding house. She was holding the cigarette in her mouth while trying to open the entrance door without making too much of a racket. Gladys' car was parked not very far away. They had agreed that the boarding house was the best place to make the exchange, since the girls were already used to the presence of Gladys in the boarding house; and as long as nobody saw Betty and Teresa arriving in her car, there would be no problem - so they parked it a bit further than its usual spot.

Betty made her way into the house, fragments of the past hours coming back to her mind when she walked past the common room. The titillating feeling of remembering Teresa's touch warmed her heart a little bit, and she smiled to herself in contempt.

"Betty McRae! Hey! Come back!" - Gladys called from the common room, snapping Betty out of her thoughts. Betty had just passed by without caring to look. She had forgotten that Gladys would be waiting for her there; so she turned around, took the cigarette from her mouth - the other hand still in its rightful jacket pocket - and peeked at the room from which the Gladys' voice had just come from.

"Oh hello there, princess! Been waiting long?" - She asked, not entirely oblivious to the fact that she's been away for hours.

"Betts, don't you dare tease me. I wonder...what have you been doing with my car at these not so very decent hours?" - Gladys asked, feigning innocence.

Betty looked around. Indeed it was so late most people were already in their rooms. Only Moira was still ironing her clothes, further down the hall. She might've heard the exchange between the two friends because she seemed to shift on her feet and was ironing with less enthusiasm now, as if preparing herself to eavesdrop.

"Go to bed Moira!" - Betty shouted down the hall, then joined Gladys by the couch, offering her friend a cigarette.

"Thanks. So how was your drive? Eventful?" - Gladys asked, poking Betty.

Her friend reacted to the poke by getting the lighter out of her pocket and lightning the cigarette for Gladys.

"There. Well, it was definitely refreshing. Thanks by the way." - Betty said between drags.

"Anytime. Actually, not so frequently Betts, I'm out of money for gas. Well, out of money for anything really."- Gladys said, her tone serious now.

"I'll cover the expense of tonight, Gladys. Who do you think I am, some kind of crook?" - Betty asked, reassuring her friend.

"Yes. My god Betty, I've been trying for months to find a way to describe you in one word and you just did it in less than three seconds!" - Gladys mocked, trying to get a rise out of her friend.

"Give me my cigarette back! I take back my offer!" - Betty said as a response, trying to reach for the cigarrete in Gladys' hand.

"See what I meant? A crook!" - Gladys leaned back, laughing as Betty failed to get the cigarette and eventually gave up by waving her hand on an dismissing way.

"Kate couldn't take her eyes off of you tonight." - Gladys eventually confessed, after a few seconds of silence.

"Couldn't care less." - Betty shrugged, then lightening another cigarette for herself.

"Don't you really?" - Gladys insisted, clearly not believing a word of what Betty just said.

"No. I made it clear for her I couldn't be friends with her anymore. She kept...jesus. It was like she pretended she didn't know..." - Betty's voice broke and she scratched her brow in frustration.

"So you literally told her you loved her? She knew for sure about your feelings, all this time?" - Gladys wanted to know.

"Yes." - Betty answered, looking away, battling with the tears that wanted to come out.

Gladys didn't know what to say for quite a while. They just sat there in silence for a minute or so, smoking. Gladys wondered if Betty could use some comfort right now. She knew how much she kept trying to look tough, and if Gladys tried to be affectionate with her, Betty could shrug it off. She tried eitherway, and extended her right arm so she could get Betty closer to her.

"I'm fine." She said right away, even though not rejecting the embrace.

"I know." - Gladys whispered. "Just felt like hugging the tough Betty McRae at least once in my life. That's all."

Betty laughed lightly and relaxed against her friend.

"You think she and Ivan, they gonna last?" - Betty asked after a few seconds.

"I...don't know. They do get along fairly well." - Gladys started, thinking hard about it. "But Kate...she's very hard to read, you can never be sure about her." - Gladys added after a quick pause - "Although I don't think it's a good idea for you to hold on to that."

"Listen, I'm getting over it, I really am. You don't have to worry about that." - Betty reassured, her strenght suddenly back when she realized she indeed was getting over it, slowly, bit by bit.

Next morning, it was raining heavily and the consequences of that could be seen by the streetcar stop: working women where scattered about the sidewalk in groups, trying to find a cover from the rain by the buildings façades.  
Betty was enjoying her morning cigarette by herself below a balcony when she spotted Kate approaching her.

"Can I stay here? It's raining so much." - She pratically begged, using the power of her blue eyes.  
Betty looked around trying to spot another free cover, but to no avail. She sighed and then answered:

"Fine by me. Just don't try to make small talk ok? No need for that."

Kate seemed to be hurt by Betty's hostility for a fraction of a second, but then turned her head to the street and said nothing, pretending to look interest in the cars that were passing by.  
After a minute or so of nothing else but the sound of rain and chit-chat from other women standing nearby, Kate turned around, her mask finally dropped.

"What's wrong with you? I thought we were friends! After all we went through, you decide the best thing to do is to stop talking to me?"  
Smoke got stuck on Betty's throat as she wasn't expecting that outburst. She coughed as an immediate reaction and slammed her chest, gasping for oxygen.

"Seriously, it's not my fault you...you..."

"That I what? That I'm a freak? I wish I could say I'm sorry for that, but guess what, it's not my freaking choice to be like this! I cannot change, I've tried, but I can't!" - Betty made a big effort to keep her tone low and calm, so they wouldn't attract much attention to themselves.

"How can it not be a choice?" Kate asked.

"Well, it so happens that when you love someone, it's not suposed to be a choice. It just happens. Did you happen to choose Ivan?" - Betty asked, her tone more agressive now.

Kate seemed taken back by that question, as if she didn't know the answer.  
Betty scoffed and resumed her smoking, leaning into the building's wall and not even daring to look at Kate. If she did she'd break down the walls, she was sure of it, because the last time she looked at Kate she looked confused and still hurt by the whole exchange, and if Betty were to talk again, her voice would betray her.  
The streetcar arrived during their entire talk and none of them seemed to notice. It was only when most women were already making their way to the entrance door that Betty looked in the direction of the stop and began making her way there, just to be stopped by Kate's hand on her arm.

"I miss you." - She said so low that Betty almost didn't hear it.

At that moment something invisible tightened Betty's chest. She breathed in slowly.

"I've told you Kate, I can't do this. Find some other friend. You have Ivan now I'm sure he's a delightful company too."  
Betty tried to get free from Kate's grasp but Kate didn't let go just yet.

"That soldier woman. You and her..."

"That's none of your goddamn business, Kate." - Betty jerked her arm and had to run to catch the streetcar. Kate stayed at the exact same spot Betty left her, not even bothering about getting late for work.


End file.
